I got finished my guide book about BMX coaching. As some might know I spent a month in Swicherland, UCI training center, to study coaching BMX. This guide book covers lots about coaching: What is it to be a coach, what it is to be a rider, different ways of teaching, giving a feedback, coacnhing environtment, sensitivityperiods for kids, BMX training, physical training, mental training... I also hold a weekend long course for coaches. Weekend was just enough to talk a little about everything, but long enough that I couldn't have handle any longer. I'm really happy about the group we got together to learn about coaching. There was presented almost all the BMX clubs in Finland!

What was hard for me about holding the course was that some were probably looking for the basic knowledge of BMX techniques. At the same time others are coaching riders who already know all basics. Some look coaching only thru BMX skills and for others it's about buiding an athlete. On top of that everyone needs knowledge of coaching methods, even they wanted to hear it or not. That's the key :)

I think everyone got something. Material will be published at least in Finnish just when I get it in proper form. I hope this will encourage more parents to run training, we would have more understanding of coaching methods and how much you can mix and match only by using that. The most important thing is that I hope we get kids to have fun in BMX training and improving their riding :)

I'm not sure, but I think coaching is still not the thing for me. Of course in the mean while when running all my other projects I can coach... but I feel I need to get something going on for myself too. Not sure what it will be. What I'm capable of doing.. I will be trying to find the thing and meanwhile riding tandem MTB with T :)

I did this seat for T because we are on vacation. People asks why we go, there is not a single explanation that I could give. Maybe I go coaching, and riding MTB (with the loas shown in picture below I was able ride about 2minutes, but you can't really compare that to anything..), and ofcourse enjoying life without any projects! We will be back in Finland at summer :)

Wow I guess I don't write in english any more. Well, what has happened after April.. lots! Past month I spend a month in Switzerland. Getting level 3 (Diploma) for coaching. Diploma is for all the cycling sports, but my course was specially for BMX and MTB.

Course was great, lots of information (mostly about physics and how to coach).. I'm still gonna have couple things to get more coaching skills for BMX in practice. After that I will publish my BMX coaching guide.

At the moment, I'm keen to do some testing for BMX skills on the bike and couple of physical test. Plan is to test bunny hop, manual, wheelie, sprints (10m, 60m, maybe even 100m) or gate and sprint. Vertical jump or long jump without speed. Pull-ups, planking/push ups. This way we would have 5-6 test spots. If I get people to help me out, so we can run at least 3 test at the same time, or maybe even 6. This wouldn't take too long time..

If tests would be only my decision, I would also test back-hops (on bike jumping on back wheel). That's what we did in the World cycling center with talent team. There was junior elite riders, to be tested to see if they get decided to come to live in CMC to train for Olympics. For some people this test has nothing to do with racing, or even with FS. But it is a test to see how rider moves on the bike, how they get on with something that is not so common for them.. and it is just bike handling skills. You never know if that's the thing that gets rider excited to challenge him/herself.. maybe (s)he gets interested for trial.. or FS who knows. That would mean more hours on the bike.. and again that's only a good thing on my point of view :)

Anyway, the planned test days are Tampere 11.11., Turku 12.11., Helsinki 19.11. and Lahti 25.11. More info coming up when we know something more. All riders are welcome, the riders will get their scores and I will send the averidge/highest scores to the clubs, so the coaches know where to set the goals. I have some international scores already, but only for junior elite and elite. Nothing for kids, yet, I think I will get them tho :)

Sorry for missing the english articles lately. Really hard to find the time to write the blog so that's just how it is. I started new season. One more time... From the bottom. I have done couple of test to see where I'm and how do I make the progress. Sprints and the gate times I couldn't get yet coz my timing system is in France for a visit... Those the main test I need to do and it will be nice to see how the progress on the other results will effect to those. Well let's get to the point, the results:

So that's (sh)it. It's nice to start to get these better. I was thinking to make the tests ones a month or max 1x2weeks. Endurance is something I haven't tested even it's super important for BMX. Everything what happens after the first 8 seconds (well max 12 for those with the best fitness), is about endurance. Also it matters for how fast you recover, which makes the difference to that moh much you can train and how well you can keep up going thru the full race and be on your top in the finals. So it's no point to under estimate endurance in BMX.

Already found weight loss protein icecream :P

How am I going to get those results better? First of all, it's still almost 3 months until the Worlds. So I will start with training max ones a day. Every second day is endurance workout and every second is gym. Endurance days I'm allowed to do the abs and push ups twice. And also I can ride my bike for easy sessions as gates etc. Push ups I will work by doing pyramids, half the max and go three times at the mornings and evenings (1-2-3, 3-2-1, 1-2-3). And in the mean while I'm gonna lose 8kg fat :D easy as ;)

Every pedal counts <3 wattbike

​I think after a week I get to do some more exercise a day. Someone might have pay attention that some test were made with Wattbike. At the moment I have wattbike at my home to be able to train easier and better. With a good bike time just flies, and I'm also able follow my fitness with the tests that are super good. I have been only 5 years wanting to have this and finally I get to use it!! <3

But for now, lets enjoy the first of May, it will be her 4months bday! Over here it looks like we will be shoveling the snow..

LOL, after all I didn't stayed that long in Finland. By that I mean I have booked a next trip. :) I will ride BMX next season. For some times I felt like I lost the spark on BMX. Until one morning I woke up at 7 o'clock and right that moment I knew I wanna ride, and if I wanna ride I got to train now, for that I would need a place where is summer and lots of friends.. New Zealand. I have been wanting to go back for so long. I had my best riding over there. I like most their training methods.. and I have most friends over there.

Couple days I let the thought settle. I asked around my friends what would they think. Everyone were excited. I found the flights and started booking. Then I realized that the baby needs to have a name for the ticket. So I had to came up with something... and she became Taika Isabella Leinonen. Tics and I had the name on paper and trip booked. Accommodation I took thru airbnb so my friends wouldn't need to listen the crying during nights. For a car I took a camper where is easy to hung out. The season in NZ is going on right now and they will have their nationals on April right before we come back.

​So I'm supposed to get back in shape. I don't even know what I'm allowed to do at the moment. In a month or so the doctor does the final check, but that's way too long to wait. I will train endurance and do gates and flat land BMX things. Also what I'm able to train all the time, no matter te baby, is mental training. That's the thing I'm good at, but I guess I can be even better :D I'm excitged, it's being too long till I was excited for a bmx. Maybe I get inspired to start from the bottom, or maybe the hormons hold me back during the pregnancy.

The goal is to ride World Champs in USA. It's still too far ahead to let that matter. If everything goes wrong in NZ and I don't get to ride at all, it's all good. We will just enjoy the weather and the company. I'm feeling good!

Year changed and so did my life. On first of January I gave a birth of a baby girl. She weighed 3894grams and was 51cm tall. Everyone in the room were amazed and they gave her 10 points and would have gave a plus if they would be allowed (I don't know about other countries but in Finland babies actually do gate a grade when they are born. It's about how active baby is, is skin good color or needs more oxyzen etc). Giving a birth was something I wouldn't need to experience.. some people say that's something every women needs to experience. For me it didn't give anything extra in my life, but the result, the baby. Girl is amazing. She is already two weeks old, of course I wanted to post this news immediately, so you see how busy the days has been.

Everyday life is making me wonder a bit. I have seen a little how it is, also everything is still gonna change, probably many times. At the moment my high lights of the day are: shower, 20min walks, quiet breakfast or using toilet all by myself. I'm not even dreaming to get all those done in one day. For summer and BMX I'm not expecting a lot. Previous summer one Finnish BMX mom showed that it's possible to keep on training and racing with 4 months old son. On the other hand there is many kind of babies, as well as there is moms. Telling the truth my baby has been so easy this far, but it doesn't mean that this wouldn't be tuff for me, at least a huge change.

During pregnancy or giving a birth my body didn't get much damage. I'm still not allowed to start to do sports and I can feel those 20min walks.. I was gonna start to do gate starts, but then I understood that those if something are "ripping" movement and I you really need abs for that. There wouldn't be no wonder about getting back to BMX if I would feel we have a good group, good positive vibes and team spirit. And there probably is something like that going on, but I'm not part of it. It's not a group where I belong to. I dream about those holiday meets we had in California on the track. Everyone brought a food and we ate it together. Had fun as a family, a huge family! I hope we will have that in Jyväskylä, in my home town. Just need to get BMX started. The cycling people I have got to know from here are so nice. If I don't get them in to BMX, maybe they get me in to their cycling sports... As we know, it's not that hard to get me excited :D

Ooh, I see.. I haven't really been posting in english lately. Sorry.. Last days I have done couple of new odetobmx products. Got a good excuse to surprise one BMX kid and after that my DH friend had a surprise Bday party... So that's what I did:

It's really interesting to make my own products. I do that just for fun, and just because I can. Those are the two main reasons for lots of thing in my life, I recommend to try them ;)

I haven't got to ride lately, also I put my gym membership on hold. Trying to be wise I guess. I have urge to get to ride a bike. Still I haven't figured out what bike, or why. Because I don't see myself on BMX track, more likely doing sprints!? Stange! I guess that's just the hormones :D

I got 11 days time until the due date and until Xmas too. Let's see if I get some more inspiration for new designs. Hope you enjoy the pre xmas vibes!! <3

Finally I got to visit a new BMX track, which has been built close to my hometown about a year ago. For beginning I can tell that I was happily surprised for the track. That's pretty much from a person who is known to be really picky for the track designs. I weren't expecting anything bad, even I have heard all kinds of comment during the past year, as the shapes of the jumps are wrong way, turns are really small, how they have built the track in secret.. Blaablaa, specially for the last comment. If someone is building a track in a new city I think it's a perfectly good idea to find info on your own and build it. Everyone has an opinion but no one has build so good track that they could give tell how it should be done. Then there is of course the ones who never build nothing but are still telling what should be done. I wouldn't pay any attention to the comments that are coming from people who have been riding less than 10-20 tracks.

But I were supposed to tell you about the track. I didn't measure it (like I normally do). Anyhow track is perfect for a first track in the area. There is a good starting hill and GATE! Good shapes where beginners can easily make a progress. On third straight is perfect rythm section to understand pumping, on first straight you get easily to try manuals, there is two tables where anyone can start getting to know jumping. For more advanged riders is a good spots for more difficult manuals and jumps. Simply really good complex.

​Of course nothing is perfect, there is always something to change. First and most important thing to change would be the first jump. It's just too close to the start hill. There is even some rule for that but more important is that it just doesn't give you good feeling. Shape of the first jump is also little special. But that's no biggy. There is good to be something different so you really got to figure out what technique to use. Other thing that kept on bothering me is the second jump on second straight, I mean the double after the step down. It just messing the flow of the track. It's too short for the speed the track has. And what comes to the turns they are the size you need for this kind of track. The ankle between flat and the turn could be little more smoother.. but asfalt turns in Finland. That's already a big credit!! Yey :)

I don't dare to give any grades for the track, but this is defenately worth a visit. Cherry on top there is new really nice pump track in Jyväskylä (huhtasuo sports park), about 25km from Laukaa. For me it's the first pump track in Finland with interesting lines and shapes where you actually need to pump for real!! Two reasons to plan a trip to middle Finland :)

I sit down in icecream bar, I'm in my hometown. I read a magazine and eat my icecream. Suddenly I realize: some people do this everyday. Far from enough many, but some do. I'm not talking about eating icecream. I'm talking about doing something, anything, just for yourself. I simply sit there and I'm not being useful for anyone else, I'm there only for myself.

Last month, or a year.. maybe five, I have basically done things for getting them done. More you do, more you are allowed to be happy. I see there is coming some changes. It doesn't mean I stop doing things, it means I stop doing them for getting them done. Because, believe me or not, for a long time I have been riding BMX just to get it done. I have rode to get better results. I have rode to finish my training schedule. Witch leads to better results. Too often in (Finnish) sports we conctrate to the results. We talk about having fun, but in reality no one respects that.

Performance, training for results, takes away from having fun. As well as having fun takes a part away from result orientated training. At least we are really scared of that. Finnish sports are known about slosh around in the swamps. About giving your best.. There is not many who can say they go running on swamp with smile on their faces. So how can we find the golden mean where we don't get into sinkhole of the swamp but neither roll on the tarmac rodes?

In my resent situation I'm of course going thru these questions because of my own training but as well for new baby. How to help the kid to make the grade by not being nazi mom. Maybe by examble. So I get my back yard swamp sloshing and plant couple cloudberries there at the same time ;)

On the meanwhile, my belly keeps on growing. And so does my urge to ride a BMX. Lately I have been rolling my single gear bike on the streets and my dad's fat bike in the forest. One thing I have noticed is that people who ride their bikes when it's raining seems to have smile on their face :)

Gaash.. I'm stoked! World Champ bronze! There was couple important moments that had to happen to get the final result. So I was think to skip all the words how great I feel and speculate the race day :) First race day, what's the 20" race ended up with my leaving the inside open on the first corner. For this same mistake I have failed many other races too. For example missing the final on Worlds at 2013 because of leaving the last corner open. So I was slightly bit pissed off for myself. and I wrote to behind my number plate words: Go in! The motos I passed kinda easily. I was always first until on the last straight I didn't pedal one girl always passed me. I didn't care because I had decide to do so to save energy. Ones the motos doesn't matter that much and the important races were just starting. After the motos I was shown a video of my race. WTF. On gate I was first. Then everyone passed me. And again I passed them. What happened? Looking the video I saw I stopped pedaling on the half way of the start hill. I have no idea why I did that but it's good that I saw it and I was able to correct that!! On semifinal I got to 3rd pick. First took 1, second 2. I had no idea how good gates others would have so I took 4th, so I wouldn't be blocked in. I raced like crazy. And for my surprise I became 2nd. Way front from the girl who got 2nd on final. On final I got to pick on 4th. So 1st goes 1, 2nd takes 5! 3rd goes 2nd and I knew I can do it so I took 3rd. I put all in. Made my best. Felt really good riding. Until the long as 3rd straight was done and so was I. On last straight I tried to pedal but it was wobbly as. On the last rollers my brains told me, no one is coming, don't take that pedal... and one girl got me... If she got me. I doubt that. Uci had problem with photo finish so they didn't use cameras.. Little special. But it doesn't really matter if I got 2nd or 3rd. It's kinda sad tho how the style to not pedal on the last straight continued to the final.. SHouldn't have thought my brains to think like that.

It's been long journey. Begins about for years back. Kinda 5 years back from my first Worlds. But more I took the goal to be on 2016 four years ago. Long term goals can be hard to carry on, but with short term goals on the way it just happens. Unluckily I was sick for almost all winter, so I couldn't finish the training as should but this result is still gold to me.

Videos can also be found on www.bmx-videos.com. Medellin world champs -> Cruisers -> cruiser women 30+ (semifinal 2 ja final).

Outi Leinonen

Outi is a BMX racer. She got serious brain injury in car accident 2004. She has represented Finland in World Champs 2012-2015. Been the first rider from Finland ever been in BMX race World Champs and the only one to make it to final.